The NotSoDistant Future
by fairytalehearts
Summary: A Future Fic. An Engagement. A New Office. Nothing Peter and Olivia can't handle. P&O
1. Act One

Disclaimer: I do not own FRINGE and make no profit from this work of fiction

AN: I wrote this with the premise of "What I want to happen on Fringe". Or what I call Fringe Season 6 in my mind, lol. Please review/favorite/etc. if you'd like me to continue this story. -FTH

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><p>Peter could sleep anywhere.<p>

On a bus, train, on the couch, in the car, on the lab table. It was- cute, she supposed. It was their last late night, their last few hours at Harvard and he was fast asleep, his head on his hands on the desk. They needed to be on campus to oversee the moving of goods :theirs to the first official Fringe Division building in Boston, and Walter to Massive Dynamic in New York.

Peter had opted to pull an all-nighter packing all of their belongings into boxes. They'd be there all night anyway. The trucks were coming in at 2AM to haul their things away, any earlier and they'd have a handful of questions from the grad students down the hall.

They had to inventory everything and she had just finished their office with 'One Large Desk- Double-Sided, 10 Drawers'. Peter's half had permanent marker smudges and coffee stains, while her half was in pristine condition. He had also carved 'PB+OD' inside one of the drawers and if she ever needed a reminder of the love he had for her, it was there for her to see. This lab, their office was their life. And now it was packed into 815 boxes.

She had her own corner office now. And to quote Broyles, 'A position befit of the best agent I could ask for.' And Director Dunham did have a certain ring to it. There was a coffee machine ten feet from her office and she had an assistant and Astrid had gotten a promotion or six, they were moving on. It didn't mean she wasn't going to miss it.

"I'm gonna miss this place." Olivia couldn't help the tear from escaping. She had gotten to know Peter here. She had loved and lost and saved lives here. She can't help but stare at Peter as she was sitting across from him, in the chair she had come to call her own. They'd never break cases here, never pour over documents.

One eye opens cautiously at her before blinking awake, "I must have fallen asleep. Where's Walter?"

"He left ten minutes ago. They needed to get another truck to get the desk and your books." Her tone implied that he was a pack rat (which he was) and he just chuckled in response.

"There are only 16 boxes." He covered lamely. 16 boxes was about 10 too many. He had three copies of Gray's Anatomy, two Spanish dictionaries and that was just the tip of the iceberg. It took the two of them three hours to catalog all of those damn books and she couldn't remember Peter using them once.

"When were you going to give me the ring you hid in your desk?" A direct approach usually worked best in these situations. Gauging by his reaction, he wasn't surprised she found it, but wasn't exactly happy about it either.

The job had made her suspicious so she checked every nook and cranny of their desk, anything not inventoried properly might get sent to Massive Dynamic and then getting it back would be another hassle. It was taped to the back of the third drawer, in the secret compartment he'd made where he stored his extra gun and emergency cell phone. She didn't inventory the ring of course; she was so afraid that Peter was going to catch her trying it on while he was coming back from _Damiano's,_ she just shoved it into her pocket sans box. While she was eating dinner, it burned a hole in her pocket. When he finally went back towards the leftover lab equipment she finally got a good look at it.

The ring had a green diamond in a tulip setting, it was gorgeous. It wasn't traditional by any means, the white-gold was intricately melded together, curling around the setting to imitate leaves. Gently placing the ring on her finger she held it up to admire it, the ring fitting her finger perfectly.

"I couldn't decide if I should give you my mother's ring or your mother's ring from Rachel, and I was walking around Manhattan and it reminded me of your eyes, so I bought it."

His hand went for her fingertips, running his thumb along her fingernails. He was trying to distract her from something, but she knew his tricks by now. He probably bought it weeks ago, "When did you buy it?"

"September2010."

Thinking back, there was only a small window of time that he could have possibly been in Manhattan, "I was in the other universe with William Bell."

"So? A man can't buy a ring?" He sounds _so_ amused.

"We weren't even dating."

"So?"

He was being smarmy and arrogant and _so_ _Peter_ that it was infuriating, "So you're telling me that you bought me an engagement ring, before we were dating, when I thought you were dating my sister, before I knew you were sticking around, before all of the Fauxlivia crap. And it's just been sitting here, in this box, in _our_ desk, for the past five years?"

"You knew I was sticking around, Olivia. And honestly I'm not surprised you found it sooner."

It would have been relatively easy to find it, but she respected that Peter had secrets he could never tell her about. She had read his file years ago and that was only the stuff the FBI knew about. Knowing about his past wouldn't change anything about how he felt about her. Or how she felt about him.

"Sometimes, Peter-"

He's crossed into her personal space, his face near inches from her own and she can't help but go a little weak in the knees. Accommodating to him, she rearranged her body to be flush against his, her hands going to his face, like he had done many times before. He seemed to be waiting for something, and his face suddenly feels warm-

"I can get on one knee? You're kinda leaving me hanging here, Livia."

"Mr. Overconfident, unsure about something? Shaking in his boots?" Teasing him would never get old and she liked to think that it kept them interesting. They could have fun if the occasion called for it.

He knows the question and she knows the answer. They probably would have kissed on it, if not for Astrid and the second truck arriving at a particularly inconvenient moment.

* * *

><p>"Why did we decide to move the same weekend as the new office?" Peter grumbled from the other side of the couch they were currently lifting. Her lease was up and the Bishop house had mold or something equally vile growing in the basement, so the two of them packed up their belongings and moved into a brownstone in Chelsea.<p>

"Because that thing growing in your basement was getting toxic and you were already packing Walter's things so you might as well pack yours too." Lincoln chimes in, getting the front door for them, "I hear congratulations are in order."

She supposed he warranted a phone call, but apparently Walter told Astrid who told him worked much faster than her remembering to tell people. They had been together long enough that most people probably assumed it was just going to happen anway.

"Thanks, Link."

"And may I remind you, as your only friend, that I am an excellent candidate for Best Man."

"I don't know, I was thinking Brandon." Peter smirks from around the couch cushions at her.

Couch successfully in the living room, she points Lincoln towards the kitchen to start unloading boxes. She had already labeled all of the boxes with their intended location, a combination of insomnia and her photographic memory definitely expediting the process of moving.

New flooring, new carpet. The price was a bit steep, but there were three bedrooms, a basement for Peter to put his semi-illegal stuff in, and an office for her to work from home if they ever decided to have kids. It was beautiful, her dream home. She also figured it was about time she and Peter lived together, the ring on her finger a welcome reminder.

"Where do you want these?"

Olivia craned her neck to see Peter unpacking the bathroom, her box marked "unmentionables" being mistaken for feminine hygiene products. The box, while rather small held three guns, one taser and stun grenade. It also "Emergency Checklist" in case something creepy, gross and/or scary was about to kill them.

"Really? A 9mm? Where's the sniper rifle? Where's the glock? Where's _my_ backup emergency gun?"

Lincoln is looking at the two of them, jaw dropped. She supposes most people don't see the normal Peter, her Peter. The one who eats ice cream until he's sick because he can't let it get gross in the freezer. The one who laughs and is a genius and so sarcastic and walks around the house in a labcoat because it helps him think. She's also the senior officer and can't really say she kids around at work, so that's probably new for him too.

"You can have the one Walter built into a garter belt." Olivia reassured him, flattening the box that held their DVDs. Five hours, two coffee breaks and a pizza later: her house is moved in, Lincoln was stealing their leftovers and Walter was attempting to skype them from his apartment in New York.

"I have an assistant Peter! And interns, although Agent Farnsworth has informed me that the word _intern_ is not as exchangeable with _labrat _as it once was."

"Walter, you promised Nina you wouldn't experiment on humans without her consent." Peter reminded him, picking up the paper plates and throwing them away. "Thanksgiving is in a couple weeks and we'll do it at your swanky new pad."

"That would be lovely. Thanksgiving in New York City. I suppose I should tidy the place up a bit before then."

"Walter you just moved in." Olivia reminded him, mentally adding garbage bags to the list of things to buy. They could unpack the rest of the stuff tomorrow. And Walter could keep his apartment as messy as he wanted. "Good night Walter."

She doesn't catch the rest of the conversation but when she brings a coffee mug to the sink, Walter perks up immediately,"Peter remind Olivia that I predicted you two would be married long before you were dating."

"I'm sure she recognized your many not-so-subtle hints."

"What hints?"

"Peter, doesn't Agent Dunham look lovely, Peter do you think she'll call me Dad, Peter open the door for Agent Dunham, it's what a gentleman caller would do, Peter, do you think Olivia would like Blueberry Cream Cheese Waffles? I could make them for your wedding! Oh, did you need the room? I noticed Olivia liked pickles so I picked her up a jar from the market. Peter do you think Walter is a suitable middle name for a child?" Peter listed them from memory and it warmed her heart that Walter felt that highly of her from the get-go.

"Goodnight, Walter." Peter adds before turning off his laptop.

Padding up the stairs Olivia stood in the hallway admiring the master bathroom, two showerheads, very large bathtub. They had empty rooms and an extra bathroom-

"I want kids." Olivia blurts, not exactly sure why she was even saying it, "Do you want kids because I was just thinking-"

"Yes, I want kids. We can start right now if you'd like-"

"Nope. We have an early day tomorrow."

She had a feeling that this was the beginning of the rest of their lives.


	2. Act Two

_See Disclaimer in First Chapter._

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><p>Peter walks into work Monday morning in a very good mood. First, he got his interdimensional cell phone to work so he could call his mother and tell her about the engagement. Then he had a great two-person shower in his new bathroom. A great morning. He didn't have to drive his father's station wagon to work and the carpool talk didn't involve talking about the safety benefits of wearing clothes while cooking. Although on second thought, maybe he would discuss the opposite on the way home…<p>

"Have a nice day at work, dear. See you around 7PM for dinner." Olivia snarked, taking her briefcase out of his hands. Her engagement ring rubbed across his palm and he couldn't help but smile in response. They would both probably be there until at least 2AM, and he definitely planned on seeing her before then.

Kissing his fiancée goodbye on the cheek, he headed for his lab on sub-level 5. He had opted to skip the interior design portion of the tour and hung out in Olivia's office last week, so seeing his labs for the first time was really- something special. They had gone above and beyond- apparently his testimony in the senate meeting had worked. Fringe Division wasn't even going to have an in-house science division, all of their cases would be loaned out to other government sectors or private companies like Massive Dynamic.

Which was ridiculous.

Oddly enough, his testimony also provided him with a job opportunity as Lead Science Agent, a title that meant he was no longer an active case agent and more of a pencil pusher with a few honorary science degrees. How they talked Harvard into giving him a master's degree was beyond him. To be honest, he didn't want to be a case agent without Olivia, so he would make do with his current situation.

His office, while very nicely decorated was definitely not his speed. The whites were too bright, he didn't like seeing into Lab D, in all of its sterile empty glory. He liked dark offices with a certain blonde and his privacy. While he shared her open door philosophy, that didn't mean that the open door was 24/7. Focusing on work was where he excelled and he doubted he'd get any work done in this office.

Astrid was sitting with a teenage girl in his office, showing her around, letting her touch his things.

"Peter- Ramona. Ramona- Peter. She's going to be your assistant. Olivia approved her already so I'm going to go…now. Bye!"

Astrid ran from the room amazingly fast. Ramona had pink streaks in her hair and was probably still a teenager.

"You have the largest lab on this floor, and no team here yet. This tells me that you're very full of yourself and you're a loner. It also tells me the generous engagement ring on Director Dunham's hand is yours, because you missed your own employee interviews and she wasn't mad. You have a good relationship with your father because I was stuck sitting next to him in the cafeteria for orientation last week and all he could do was talk about you non-stop. You think I'm too young, but I've hacked your cellphone from here and I graduated high school when I was 14 and I have a double bachelors' degrees in Biochemistry and Engineering with a Minor in Anthropology. I was denied admittance into Medical School, Graduate School and the FBI because of your Director Broyles and I'm sure I'll be your boss in 5 months because you're so horribly unorganized."

Peter crosses across the office to the closet and tosses a labcoat at her face, "Are you done 'impressing' me now?"

"Your 9am is waiting in the lounge, your coffee is in the lab on a Bunsen burner, um, burning and Broyles has emailed you ten times about the staff meeting during lunch. Astrid is also bringing in the latest crop of interns on Wednesday and your father wants to fire his assistant already. Also I took the bug out of your phone and disconnected the cameras in your lab and office from the mainframe."

"And why pray tell did you do that?"

"I read your employee file on my phone while we were waiting for you. You're suspicious by nature and you don't like that Big Brother can be over your shoulder watching you. You also don't like people to know your business. And...I'm… biologically inclined to be computer savvy."

She glanced at his phone and he picked it up, seeing a live picture of Walter walking to work in New York City. Okay now he was impressed. Tasking satellites was not exactly easy. Especially without a computer. Peter motioned for the girl to follow him as he walked the labs and listed of his expectations of her.

"I get here at 8AM. I live in Chelsea- I'm sure you can find a way to get into my house in an emergency. If I'm not here for any reason, you have my permission to find me. I expect you to be here at 7, check my emails, and respond accordingly. I'm a fairly easy guy to get along with, feel free to ask if you have questions."

After their brief tour he showed her to the reception desk for sub-level five and gave her a list of activities he expected her to do: daily, weekly, monthly. She was expected at all of his meetings and to remind him of such meetings and then determine if he really needed to go or not.

"Any questions?"

"Does Director Dunham still take her coffee two sugars? Her assistant is tweeting for help. I'm not sitting at this desk, so you can find someone else to play secretary."

She mills around his office, taking notes on her phone. Frowning. Shuffling around. More frowning.

Scientists start to mill in and he supposes he should introduce himself to the ones with the courtesy to knock. Name: Peter Bishop, Give Credentials, Give Field Experience, Stress that discretion and outside the box thinking is a must, Welcome Party Tomorrow. Email lunch orders to assistant. Introduce Assistant. Intern interviews on Wednesday. Agents will be coming by for consultation. Repeat.

By the tenth scientist, he had memorized the spiel and Ramona had reorganized his entire office before motioning towards the clock. The nine o'clock appointment was his new lab manager. Apparently there was an issue of lab assignment. Nothing was worse than whiny scientists.

"Who is this?" Dr. Carter asked glancing at the intently at Ramona's tight sweater. Peter's not sure why but he has the distinct feeling to wipe the smirk of Dr. Carter's face.

"Ramona Carson. Charmed, I'm sure. Now Dr. Garth gets Lab A because it has better ventilation, Dr. Baw gets lab B because it comes pre-equipped with the hermetically sealed specimen tanks, That leaves the Lab C for Forensics and Lab D for Dr. Bishop and Lab E for Medical. The intern interviews are on Wednesday and until then, Agent Farnsworth has sent recommendations from all of the ivy leaguers and as Agent Lee requested, I put feelers out to independent geniuses looking for employment."

She was efficient that was for sure.

"Anything else? Dr. Bishop has several ongoing projects he needs to get back to."

He really had nothing but letting Ramona do the talking was fine for him. Lab D, as she called it was for "Active Fringe Division Cases". Where his office was a bit of a disappointment, his lab on the other hand, was not. Smart boards, his book collection, ergonomic stools, espresso machine- it was a scientists wet dream.

The lights dimmed before flashing and Ramona's reaction was about two steps away from a seizure.

"Fire Drill?"

"A New Case, more importantly, the FIRST case!"

Apparently protocol dictated that the first available scientist was to report to Agent Operations to assist. If a specialty was required, a specific scientist was paged. The FBI had noticed that having someone with his skillset was useful in the field. Part of him was worried that he and Olivia were the standard that no one could meet, but he kept his thoughts to himself.

Ramona dragged him towards the elevator, where they rode to the second floor. Whereas his labs were mainly empty, the upstairs was thriving. Agents, some familiar some not, were all vying for the newest case, probably bored reading orientation packets already. Olivia handpicked the new agents to be active-minded and they were actively going to drive him crazy.

Pushing through the blocked doorway, Peter smiled seeing a familiar face behind the desk. Astrid- sorry, Director of Agent Operations, was positively beaming in her new position. Agents milling around, pink clipboard in hand, she was in her element. She still consulted with Cryptology and IT. Peter had no idea how she did it.

"Peter! Hi!"

"Hey, Astrid."

One of the agents had been selected, leaving the rest to drudge back to their cubicles. Ramona slipped her number to the lead agent and was doing her best to flirt with him. Oddly enough Peter thought that could be helpful.

"First, case so exciting, right? So the first agents on scene were Park and Nelson…"

Realizing that Astrid wasn't talking to him stung. There were hundreds of times where that would be the two of them talking with Olivia. They would talk and then he would make a plan, that Olivia would not like and then Walter would chime in. Astrid would get the coffee started and they'd sit in that moldy basement of a lab until 5AM when they got the guy.

Dr. Garth and Astrid would go to the agent's _office _on the third floor and fill out paperwork, and then begin the casefile from step one. They'd then pitch strategies to each other and go out into the field with badges and government authority, things were definitely different. He was almost jealous. But he knew it wouldn't be the same without his team, so he pretended to look busy and headed for the coffee place in the cafeteria. Forgetting that his assistant was still following him, he turned to go back when he saw her paying with his ID badge.

"Ah, cheer up, Boss. Everyone knows that you and Agent Dunham are why we all have jobs." Ramona smiled, accepting the coffee from the barista. Handing him a cup she walked towards the back, checking her phone every few minutes.

"I need to go do something really quick, and Lincoln looks like he could use some help. Office 224C. Take the back elevator to the tenth floor."

Ramona disappeared and Peter was left wondering, "What back elevator?"

After about fifteen minutes of directions from various assistants he finally found the tiny elevator in a maintenance closet.

The back elevator was used to get to the 10th, 12th and Sub levels. It was technically an emergency escape elevator, but Ramona had apparently rigged his Show Me to give him higher clearance levels. Which would be handy considering the main elevator banks were extremely far away from his current desk.

Level 10 wasn't even technically a level. The main elevators wouldn't stop there and there was another secret exit to get to the parking garage.

The second he hit carpeting, three guys with guns were on him. They escorted him down a dark hallway and eventually they motioned towards a retina scanner leaving him to wonder: _What the hell was Lincoln's promotion?_

* * *

><p>Five meetings, ten phone calls, and six agent visits later, Olivia could finally stop to breathe. There was paperwork upon paperwork, three active investigations, and someone from PETA dropping something off in three hours that needed their "utmost attention".<p>

She had tried to get them to bring it to Walter, but Massive Dynamic was not a governmental agency. They refused. So she had spent the last hour negotiating adding Walter as a consultant for this top secret project. Apparently this was the most severe case of animal abuse they had ever seen and it was not going down very well in Washington. Any excuse to have Walter around was good enough for her.

Mentally moving her coffee cup across the hallway to the kitchen, she poured herself a cup and added sugar, hoping no one noticed the floating cup. Explaining her emerging powers was not something she wanted to do on Day One. Also considering there were only four more offices on her level and none of them started until next week (they were accountants and the lawyer)- odds of her ever being caught were slim. Successfully having it land on her desk, she took a sip and put her feet up on her desk.

Her assistant was a little green for her liking, so she sent her to follow Astrid for the day and report back. This job was not going to be easy and Natalie was a bit too overeager to be any use to her now. Besides she had a secretary to handle anything she needed at her desk- it looked like she wasn't going to see sunlight for awhile. Ever.

Her office was immaculate, her name was embossed on the glass. There were 128 people in the building now, and there would be double that by Wednesday. There were scientists and HR people and it was all hers.

"Okay, pal, move it, move it!"

Olivia craned her neck to the right where five movers were hauling boxes into her waiting room. A dark-haired girl was maneuvering the boys in, and motioned for them to place the boxes on the floor near the couch.

"Ramona Carson?"

Her hair was now black and she was wearing sunglasses, but it was definitely the girl she told "no" to the job opening. Peter would never want to work with a teenage girl, let alone have her in charge of all of his affairs. She had even told her, the only way she'd let her have the job is if Peter approved and he hadn't even bothered showing up to the job fair. Said he had faith in her choice because she chose him, blah blah.

_Oh, shit._

"I gotta say, I'm impressed. But what's all this stuff?"

"Peter hates his office." Ramona sighed. "He just paces and looks at your coffee mug and he needs to talk to you about stuff. I moved Dr. St. Germaine into Peter's office and I took the desk out front, and ma'am, I know you don't like me or whatever, but I can do this."

The girl almost sounded jealous.

"When I was five I discovered I could do things with radio signals, microwave signals, electronics. It was overloading my brain, but I was special. That meant something to me. Being here this job- I finally feel like I belong. It was either this or let Massive Dynamic study me."

Olivia didn't correct her in adding the part about her knocking over ten banks for over ten million dollars.

A painter was furiously changing her door to say "Peter Bishop & Olivia Dunham" and Olivia couldn't help but laugh, "Really? He's First? I understand your reasoning, Ramona, but your approach is all wrong."

They make idle chitchat, and while Olivia goes over her emails and takes some more phone calls, Ramona is rearranging everything to accommodate two people.

"I got a note that my computer was being requisitioned, Director?" Peter crossed his arms, and leaned against the doorframe. He was a horrible flirt at work now, and she had to admit he looked good. His finger tapped against the door glass where their names were written before entering. Ramona waved from her desk across the hallway and Peter nodded knowingly.

"I know you get the desk that faces the sun." "I get to face the sun."

She laughs before grabbing the lapels of his jacket to bring him closer. "I did tell you that this was a nice suit, didn't I?"

He nods, "Yes. But it doesn't mean I don't hate wearing it."

She had told him several times that morning. In the closet. In the car. Things were different now. Forcing herself to take a step back, she looked around- Ramona had already unpacked the boxes, done something to the noisy fan in her computer and gotten a stronger wifi signal to her office. Peter's computer was placed opposite hers, and she somehow even fit the lighted drafting table in the back right.

"Ramona's nothing if not overly-efficient." He commented dryly, throwing a look back in her direction. She hit the intercom button and made it known that she could hear them perfectly despite the distance.

"You've both got lunch with Broyles before he goes to D.C." She sing-songed. "I ordered Olivia the salad, French on the side with extra croutons and eggs and Peter I ordered you a steak fajita, the tomato bisque and the, um. Mello Yello."

"Searching employee dinner files, very sneaky." Peter commented, grabbing her hand and heading for the conference room on the main floor. Broyles departure was in the works for awhile now, but she would miss him, she supposed.

Ramona followed after them at a safe distance, and as Olivia glanced back at her, a boy (man she supposed was more accurate) had stopped her and started yelling.

"It took me three weeks to hack this system. Three weeks! And you've just gone and piggybacked my system! On Day One. This is my job, my life. And I don't give a damn who Massive Dynamic wants to send my way, I'll get you out!"

Sensing her unease Peter mumbled something about putting a virus on his computer, but Olivia felt it was time to interject before they had a digital civil war on their hands.

"Boss, I didn't see you there."

"I handpicked you out of an office in Tulsa to run IT here, Devon. You're going to let Ramona have her space on our servers. And you will be nice about it. Now we're going to be late, so let's get a move on, okay?"

There were ten places at the table, food already delivered. Ramona took a seat to the side of the room near the back and Olivia hoped the meeting would pass by relatively fast. Broyles made it quick, she would be in charge while he was in D.C. and they had nailed out enough of the agent procedures and guidelines that there weren't any questions-

Until alarms started blaring halfway through the HR presentation.


	3. Act Three

See Disclaimer in Part One

* * *

><p>Mere seconds from getting Olivia to play footsie with him, Fringe Division goes into lockdown. Of course he left his computer upstairs, so it was time to put his assistant to the test, "Ramona?"<p>

She was furiously typing on her tablet, not even needing to hack into security. It was already open in one window, as well as another with wedding dresses.

"Someone triggered the alarm on the roof. It's a Massive Dynamic issue helicopter. According to the manifest your father is bringing over whatever's in there personally. Should I disable the alarm, Director Dunham?"

"Yes. I suppose we should get up the roof." Olivia shrugged, heading for the secret elevator in a maintenance closet. Broyles followed after them and they rode up in silence together.

"It was an honor." Peter speaks finally shaking Broyles hand, "You gave me a shot when I really didn't deserve one. I wish you the best of luck in D.C., Phillip."

When they finally reach the roof, as Olivia is about to scold the pilot for breaking security protocols, they realize Walter drove the helicopter here alone. With a giant fish tank. Peter wasn't even sure Walter knew how to fly a helicopter, let alone pilot one all the way to Boston. Whatever was in there must be very important for him to risk his life and the specimen's-

"Peter! Olivia! It's a MERMAID!"

If Peter wasn't looking at it with his own eyes he would never believe it. The water was red and thick with algae's of various densities, but after a gentle tapping on the glass with a tuning fork, the creature- mermaid, poked her head out of the water, her leathered skin and blood red hair glistening in the sunlight.

Her fin was red as well, and Walter was practically wetting himself he was so excited. Peter had to admit it was interesting, she appeared to look like a fishy human and was obviously the result of some very illegal scientific experiments.

"I was barraged with cease and desist orders, from various government agencies, and they wanted me to turn poor Laminaria into Fish and Wildlife services. Those cracks would have her dissected in mere minutes, killing this stunning creature."

To be honest, the way he was caressing the tank was a little creepy.

"We can't keep her in that tank, I'll have Ramona-"

On cue, Ramona kicked open the door a tub of saltwater hovering behind her. That prototype was taken out of another person's lab and they were probably going to get sued. Glancing over to Olivia for her reaction, he noticed that she was looking at the tank, transfixed.

Laminaria's webbed hand touched the glass where Olivia's hand was and the blonde jumped back.

"I think I can understand her, Peter. She doesn't speak English obviously, but I feel things. She can't breathe very well, let's get her into the tub."

Laminaria flops herself into the tub and smiles. Her red hair and scales turn blue, as if she washed the color off her body and it drained into the tub. Ramona rushes over and puts a giant floppy hat on her head, sunglasses over her eyes. She looks like a normal girl in a normal tub, her elbows resting on the edges.

Her green eyes peak over the tops of the shades at him, and she blinks provocatively, her hair turning blonde and her lips pink.

A mermaid was flirting with him. By looking like his fiancée.

"Stop that, 'Aria." Walter snaps, "My son is not going to be your dinner."

Her face turns into a pout, her hair turning a deep green. She slouched deeper into the tub and Ramona headed for the elevator, the hovering tub following close behind.

"I've got to-" "Sorry I need to-"

He kisses her quickly and pictures a fall wedding. Broyles takes the helicopter back into the city and Peter figures this was one hell of a start to the first day of Fringe Divison

* * *

><p>The second emergency is animal activists in her lobby.<p>

They weren't even open yet, and somehow there were people who knew where they were and what they were doing. The whole thing was headache in itself- she didn't have the authority to kick them out (yet) and they didn't know what the hell was going on. Only that PETA found something on an oil rig and they demanded to see it.

Lincoln had tried reasoning with them, and Olivia had just about had enough.

"Who here has a science degree?"

Ten hands went up.

"…In Marine Biology?"

Five hands

"…And know anything about biochemistry or DNA or anatomy?"

One hand.

"You can stay. The rest of you get out. This is a highly classified government facility and I don't know how you got here, but we're not open for business until next week. We have our foremost scientists handling this case with decorum and respect. Your friend here will report to you on any goings on. Any questions?"

"Who are you?"

"My name is Olivia Dunham and this is my department. Now- OUT."

The crowd dissipates and Olivia takes the one towards the main elevator. She stays silent until the doors close behind them and then hits the button for the parking garage.

"We received a report from PETA about an animal rights issue. A specimen was then delivered to our lab and we are currently trying to determine what happened and how we can prevent this from happening again. I have worked with Fringe Division for five years and I am the senior ranking agent."

"What was it?"

"That's classified."

She went over some more non-specifics, before showing him out of the elevator. "Next time you and your friends want to come to my facility, know a little something about what you're protesting. My scientists are working around the clock. Now get out."

He wasn't very happy about that but two agents were standing by to take him home.

"Agent Dunham?"

Her assistant Natalie had ridden down on the other elevator to brief her on the day's activities. The first case was about a sinkhole in Albany, scientists in the area weren't doing any geological testing and _Over There _they'd been having earthquakes.

Intro to Fringe Division, 101.

She'd given her agents a week to prepare. Case files, field trips, even Charlie and Mona came to visit. They'd be going feet first and she hoped they were great.

"I, uh, noticed that there is another desk next to mine now."

"Peter's assistant moved him into my office. My secretary's at the floor desk and I'll have you at your desk. Ramona is- interesting."

"She gave me a pencil sharpener shaped like a cat, and then it meows when you stick the pencil in its bum to sharpen it." Getting the door, Natalie held it open before walking towards her desk, papers in her hands. It was already 2PM.

Going home at before midnight was going to be strange. She might even be home before Peter which never happened. She answered some more calls, more visits. They were all set to add 20 more agents into the building tomorrow, and the rest of the scientists had reports and papers to be approved, government contracts were starting to filed-

Broyles had safely landed in D.C. and now they were ready for whatever came their way. It was a good feeling. Sitting back down at her desk, Ramona had started a video call labeled 'From Lab Dunham' and started talking animatedly about wedding dresses and venues.

"I had Sheila schedule you time next week- I've got you an appointment at L'élite, Cake tasting at Kondor Meister, then Winston Flowers and then a consultation at James Joseph. I didn't hire a wedding planner because you hate other women's opinions on most things and getting it done in one day is probably best."

Olivia glanced to the ring on her finger and nodded.

"Ramona! The Chum!"

Ramona moved her webcam over so she could see all the scientists milling about the lab, "He's got three of his own interns here and I'm on dead fish duty."

"That's Walter."

Aria seemed to like the attention she was getting, but didn't like her blood being drawn. It was amazing, she looked like a teenage girl, just with a giant tail. And gills. Peter's running around like crazy with the smart board he insisted he needed. Something about writing things out helped him think- and she could always tell when he was overwhelmed.

He was never organized in the traditional-sense, but he was always methodical. Things always happened for a reason and his notes were all over the place. They were testing blood, hair samples. Someone was dispatching an agent to the oil rig with a marine biologist of Walter's and she needed to talk him down but she knew this was one of the many adjustments they'd need to make in their new jobs.

"I'll talk to him, Olivia."

Ramona skipped over to where Peter was frantically scribbling and pointed towards his computer. He nodded at her before handing her the pen. The second he turned away she slammed her chair against the ground and plastered on her best smile.

"You seven- go work on the oil rig theory. Get an agent to run financials and employee files. Do whatever you need but go away. You-Derek? You take the samples to the lab and go run them. We've got about 20 you can run now and then go home and crunch theories. You five- go home. Wait for Derek to get back from the lab. Get a tank in here for Laminaria tomorrow. You four start analyzing the water in the tank for clues. You two- go back to Lab C where you belong, and the rest of you go get some coffee, take a break. We're gonna be here all night. Someone get Walter some Red Vines while you're out.

They look to Peter, who's rubbing his aching temples and he nods. Most of them exit the room, save for Walter and his interns. And someone sitting near the back she couldn't quite see.

"Micromanaging 26 scientists is a joy. Real joy." Peter's mood instantly brightens, "How you doin' gorgeous?"

"HR has been here for the past hour filling me in on all they wanted to at the Senior Staff Meeting. They've selected housekeeping and maintenance for the building and want your departments to go to a Toxic Waste Seminar."

"The thing about very smart people is that they know how to keep themselves occupied. Getting them to a seminar like that is next to impossible unless one of them is presenting." He gestured towards his father and smiled, "-Even if that means stealing a helicopter and disappearing. Nina thought he was kidnapped until one of his interns blabbed."

"You gave her the tracker, right?"

"I put it one of Walter's boxes marked 'Boring Massive Dynamic Stuff'"

Olivia touched her computer screen where his face was smiling and hoped that he wouldn't drive himself too crazy trying to figure this one out. He probably wouldn't make their dinner plans and even though there were cots in a room somewhere she hoped he came home.

She didn't sleep well without him.

* * *

><p>"This is marvelous, Son!"<p>

Walter was on his fifth espresso and his interns were all passed out in the sleep study room. Everything for the past hour had been 'Marvelous'

They were doing the best they could: Aria obviously did not want to be tested on, but Walter had suckered some compliance with chum/fish pops he'd made after looting the cafeteria. They also didn't have a tank big enough for her, so some of his scientists were figuring a way to get the tank Walter brought her in into the basement.

So far her blood was blue, her hair changed colors, and she made a cooing noise when she wanted their attention. She liked frozen salmon mixed with her chum and her teeth looked abnormally sharp. Ramona had spent the past hour going over the mass spectrometer results to figure out how she got like- this but so far nothing was adding up.

X-ray showed that she did have a normal skeleton until it turned into a giant fin, but people just didn't go making mermaids out of sea monkeys.

Rubbing his blurry eyes, he glanced at the clock: 12:50. Apparently his sleep schedule had righted itself in one day because all he really wanted to do was curl up in bed and sleep. Which may have had more to do with the blonde who was waiting for him at home.

Peter sighed, needing to go home and think this one over. Nudging Ramona awake, she jumped before heading towards the exit. "I'm going home Walter. You're more than welcome to have the guest room and we'll come back first thing tomorrow."

"You can't just leave the poor girl here. She is an advanced, sentient creature and I doubt she'd take well to being left here overnight."

Aria seemed to know what alone meant- and did not like it one bit.

"This is silly Peter, I will sleep here with Aria and you will go home to Agent Dunham immediately. That pink-haired girl has provided me with a cot, and a very warm blanket. I am not leaving this lab until we have done a full study on this creature and we both win a Nobel Prize."

Peter knew that Walter had obligations to Massive Dynamic. He also knew that his father would not be fulfilling those obligations for the next few days. Barely able to keep his eyes open, he made Walter promise to behave before shuffling towards the door.

"Call Nina Sharp and tell her-"

"Already on it, Peter go home."'

He's not even sure how he drives home, but he plans on sleeping in his amazingly large bed, with his amazingly hot girlfriend- only to have her furiously painting the walls in the entryway. She had gone home at six. All of the other boxes were unpacked and the whole kitchen and living room had been painted.

"It's a lot easier to paint with seven brushes." Olivia smiled, kissing him on the cheek. Six brushes hovered in the air, making the same even strokes up and down the wall. Using her powers always provoked a different neurological side effect but she seemed to be fine. "Don't worry. Painting is relaxing."

The last time she tried to do something under supervision, there'd been another lab fire.

"I worry."

"I know." She motioned to the brushes, the seven of them dunking into a bucket of water. It was great. Really. He was just so tired-

"How's the mermaid?"

"I don't really wanna talk about that now." Peter smiled, picking her up around the knees. She feigned a half-hearted protest but then allowed him to continue. Carrying her upstairs, he didn't even bother undressing before tucking the two of them into bed and falling asleep.


End file.
